The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on The Queen City Academy Charter School District
The Queen City Academy Charter School District is a single-school charter district located in Union County, New Jersey, serving students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district consists of one school, The Queen City Academy Charter School, and currently enrolls a relatively small student body for a K–12 district. The student population is composed almost entirely of Hispanic and Black students, with a very small share identifying as two or more races; no White or Asian students are reported in the enrollment data. Information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available in the data provided.
Academic performance on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA) is available for grades three through eight across math, English language arts, and science. In math, the proportion of students scoring at the proficient level or above varies by grade, generally falling in a moderate range. English language arts results are stronger across the board, with proficiency rates that climb notably in the upper elementary and middle school grades; by seventh grade, a large majority of students are meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark. Science scores are a softer area. At fifth grade, about one in five students reached the proficient level, and at eighth grade the share was very low. A parent may want to ask the school how its science curriculum supports these results and what instruction looks like in earlier grades.
A high school program was launched only recently, with the first ninth grade class enrolling in fall 2021 and the school growing one grade per year toward full K–12 enrollment. As a result, the high school grades are very lightly enrolled, and no state assessment data for high school subjects or a four-year graduation rate were available because the program is still building out. The school has established a dual enrollment partnership with Union County College that allows students to begin taking college courses starting in ninth grade, which gives early college access as a program feature. In 2024, the New Jersey Department of Education approved an enrollment expansion that allows the school to double its size, and the district has begun a major facility development project to create dedicated middle school and high school spaces on a new K–12 campus.
When compared with other districts in Union County, the district’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint. This is a bright spot given the district’s enrollment scale. On the other hand, the chronic absenteeism rate places in the bottom quartile among county districts, meaning a higher share of students are missing a substantial number of school days. Per-pupil current spending falls in the lower range relative to other Union County districts, which may be relevant given the planned facility expansion and the costs of running a small, growing charter school.
For families considering this district, the picture is of a small charter school that has carved out a solid academic record in English language arts and is building out a high school pathway with early college options. The math results are mixed, and science performance is a notable area to discuss with the school. The student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, and the school is in the midst of a significant growth phase that will reshape its physical campus and enrollment size. The chronic absenteeism rate is higher than most neighboring districts, which may be worth understanding in context. Because the high school program is new and still small, traditional measures like graduation rates are not yet available, and families should expect a developing upper-grade experience. This is not a finished product; it is a school in active expansion, with a promising foundation in literacy and a path to college credit built into the plan.
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